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EamonDeacy

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    http://barcelonalionsclub.blogspot.com/
  1. Dear General, What a fantastic performance last night which shows thats there's not much wrong at Villa Park. We have the best chairman in the Premiership, excellent ground and training facilities, one of the best youth systems in the country, a superb manager who has turned the team from relegation contenders to achieve consequtive top 6 finishes. Some of our more fickle "supporters" mock Martin O'Neill as the "messiah", but I think he has been nothing less than this, taking us from 16th, to 11th and then 2 6th place finishes. He inherited a shambles and turned the club around with the help of Mr Lerner. Whatever Martin does from now on, and I have no doubt he will achieve many great things, he should be remembered as the manager who stopped the rot, much as Vic Crowe did in the 70s. More than ever we need to keep the faith in the club, the team and the manager. Will you be at the Vienna and Fulham games. I'm coming over from Barcelona for these games, and I'd like to give you one of our Barcelona Lions Club Keep The Faith badges? Thanks for evrything you're doing for our great club. Kieran
  2. Dear General, I'm glad to hear you're on the mend, can't keep a good man down. The new kit is wonderful, a classic Villa kit with a claret body and light blue sleeves: the most beautiful colours and kit in football. You often talk about the tradition and ethos of the club, you've obviously read and learnt a lot about the history of the club in the last 3 years. I wondered if you have a favourite quotation about the club. I'm sure you've heard the most sited quotation by William McGregor: "If there is a club in the country which deserves to be dubbed the greatest (and the matter is one of some delicacy) few will deny the right of Aston Villa to share the highest niche of fame with even the most historic of other aspirants. For brilliancy and, at the same time, for consistency of achievement, for activity in philanthropic enterprise, for astuteness of management and for general alertness, the superiors of Aston Villa cannot be found." William McGregor - Football League founder & Villa chairman “The Book of Football” contributed by Wiliam McGregor 1906. Are there any others you like? I've put a few of my favourites here which you may not have read. "You are one of the richest and most powerful clubs to be found in the football world, and I venture to say, without too much extravagence of speech, no club in the past has maintained such traditions in the football world as Aston Villa." Joseph Ansell President Villa News and Record August 8, 1914 "The playing years with Aston Villa were the happiest of my whole life. About Villa Park itself hung an aura that seems almost to be visible. Most certainly it is there to be felt and I know of no other ground that has the same effect on one. Almost it seems to be peopled by ghosts - amiable ghosts whose job it is to breathe the great Villa spirit into generation after generation of ambitious youngsters who pass through the great gates to achieve a life´s ambition; to wear the famous claret and blue of the great club." Billy Walker, Soccer In The Blood "From the moment I joined Aston Villa in 1927, in the days of the great Billy Walker, I was immediately aware of the great traditions of this great club. I was taught to honour the famous claret and blue jersey and that nothing but the best is good enough for the Villa, on or off the field. Due to the club’s great past, the player’s, management and backrom staff always carry an extra responsibility." Eric Houghton 1988, Aston Villa A Complete Record 1874-1988 David Goodyear and Tony matthews Thanks for everything you're doing for the club. The changes in all areas of the club in the last 3 years have been truly astounding. Keep the Faith
  3. I'm very happy to hear you're on the mend, the site hasn't been the same without you.
  4. Dear General, Some of the comments crticising Martin O'Neill, the team and the club beggar belief. We need some historical perspective here. For some supporters fighting for 5th place with 2 games to go in what is undoubtedly the best football league in the world is not enough. However, finishing 5th would represent our best league finish in 12 years. We have no automatc right to qualify for European competitions and the number of times we have actually qualified for Europe through our league position is relatively small. Finishing in the top 6 2 years running is real progress if we look at the situation of the club 3 years ago. In 2006 the team were near the bottom of the league with an unpopular chairman and an even more unpopular manager, there was discontent in the dressing room and on the terraces. If Randy Lerner had not taken over and installed Martin O'Neill as manager, I feel that we would be struggling to achieve 5th place in the Championship (old 2nd division). What Randy Lerner, Martin O'Neill, and the club have achieved in less than years is nothing short of astounding. We have a club at the top echelons of the most competitive in the world, an owner a board of directors who care about the fans and take their opinions into account when taking decisions which affect them, a stadium which has been rennovated in a tasteful manner with respect to our traditions, improved attendances, the rennovation of the Holte pub. I feel that the vast majority of Villa supporters really appreciate everything that has been done by Randy Lerner and Martin O'Neill to restore our great club to its former glory. We've obviously had a bad run, but this is when supporters should support the club. For those of us who can remember us being in the old 3rd division and relegating to the old 2nd division, our current situation doesn't look to bad at all. Whenever I hear criticism of Martin O'Neill, I always think back to a game against Manchester United on Boxing Day 1989 when Alex Ferguson was having a bad run, Villa won that day and the majority of the travelling United supporters were calling for the head of Ferguson. However, the club showed patience and look what Ferguson has achieved over the years. Randy Lerner is the best chairman we could possibly have, and Martin O'Neill is the best manager we could possibly have. Thank you for everything you are doing for our great club, it's truly appreciated. Keep The Faith
  5. Dear General, I'm very sorry to hear about your father. You and your family are in the thoughts and prayers of the Villa family. Keep The Faith
  6. Dear General, I'm the chairman of the Barcelona Lions Club and I came over for the Man. City game. Alan Perrins and Katrina Adamson were kind enough to organise the presentation of our Player of the Year award to Martin Laursen after the game. Martin was a real gentleman. I'd just like to say how well the supporters' clubs are being organised now. Thank you for everything you are doing for our great club. Kieran
  7. I voted for number 3 as it shows everyhting we've won and it's done quite tastefuly. However, I'd be very happy with number 1 as well. I think it should alternate between upper and lower Holte.
  8. Hello General, A very happy 2008 to you and your family, I'm glad to hear that your back's better. I posted 2 weeks ago to tell you that I was coming over from Barcelona for the Wigan game, and that Katrina Adamson had organised a tour of Villa Park for us. I'd just like to share our experience as I think it illustrates so many good things about how the club is changing. First of all we, my wife, 2 daughters, my brother and his 2 daughters went to the club shop to buy shirts for my daughters, scarves and badges for members of the Barcelona Lions Club. All the products in the shop were of the highest quality and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The new signage is fantastic and looks very classy. Next we went to the Holte pub for lunch. The building looks absolutely amazing and the interior is immaculate, nice photos and furniture. The staff were really professional, accomdating and friendly in very difficult circumstances as 2 or 3 staff hasd failed to turn up and there was only one barmaid to take all the drink and food orders, I don' t know the lady's name,but she was lovely to us and made a real fuss of the kids. The doorman, a big black guy, was a real gentleman . The food was excellent and the chefs were also very helpful. Finally we went to the Holte Suite for the guided tour. Unfortunately when we informed the staff that we'd been invited to attend the tour they told us that they'd had an emergency in the morning and there were 100 children and their families who'd come for a pantomine, but the company responsible for the pantomine had phoned up 15 minutes beforee the performance was due to start to cancel. The staff obviously had a very difficult situation on their hands with 100 disappointed kids and their irrate parents. the staff told us they had improvised and takemn the kids on a tour of the stadium instead. However, as a consequence they'd had to cancel the afternoon tour, but without imforming us. I rang Katrina and told her the situation, she managed to arrange a private tour for us which was great. I mention the understaffing in the Holte pub and the cancelling of the tour, not as any sort of criticism, but only to highlight that I think in emergency and diificult situations you often see the real character of people, and I think the staff in the Holte pub and the Holte Suite and marketing department were thoroughly professional in adverse circumstances. The visit to the ground really illustrated so many positive changes at the club. Things sem to be done in a much more professional way without losing the friendly family atmosphere I've always associated with the club. Many thanks to all the people at the club who helped us to have such a great day. Kieran
  9. General, I'm coming over from Barcelona with my family for the Wigan away game, Katrina Adamson in the Marketing Department has been kind enough to organise a tour of the Villa Park for us on the Friday before the game. Please pass on my thanks to Katrina. I don't know if you'll be at Villa Park that day or at the Wigan game, but I'd love to say hello to you. If you're at the game look out for our new Barcelona Lions banner, it's quite impressive. Anyway, General, thank you to Randy, Martin O'Neill, Richard Fitzgerald and his fine team and yourself for all you're doing for our great.
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